Genesis 24
1 And Abraham was old, [and] advanced in age; and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in all things.
Now Abraham was old; and advanced in age: and the Lord had blessed him in all things.
2 And Abraham said to his servant, the eldest of his house, who ruled over all that he had, Put thy hand, I pray thee, under my thigh,
And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,
3 and I will make thee swear by Jehovah, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, that thou take not a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am dwelling;
That I may make thee swear by the Lord the God of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:
4 but thou shalt go to my land and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.
But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land: must I, then, bring thy son again in any case to the land from which thou hast removed?
The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place, from whence thou camest out?
6 And Abraham said to him, Beware that thou bring not my son thither again.
And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again thither.
7 Jehovah the God of the heavens, who took me out of my father's house, and out of the land of my nativity, and who has spoken to me, and who has sworn to me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land — he will send his angel before thee, that thou mayest take a wife for my son thence.
The Lord God of heaven, who took me out of my father’s house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.
8 And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be quit of this my oath: only, bring not my son thither again.
But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath; only bring not my son back thither again.
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore unto him concerning that matter.
The servant therefore put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him upon this word.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; now all the treasure of his master was under his hand; and he arose and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
And he took ten camels of his master’s herd, and departed, carrying something of all his goods with him, and he set forward and went on to Mesopotamia to the city of Nachor.
11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water, at the time of the evening, when the women came out to draw [water].
And when he had made the camels lie down without the town near a well of water in the evening, at the time when women are wont to come out to draw water, he said:
12 And he said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, meet me, I pray thee, [with thy blessing] this day, and deal kindly with my master Abraham.
O Lord the God of my master Abraham, meet me today, I beseech thee, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water.
Behold I stand nigh the spring of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw water.
14 And let it come to pass, [that] the maiden to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink, and who will say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also, be she whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and hereby I shall know that thou hast dealt kindly with my master.
Now, therefore, the maid to whom I shall say: Let down thy pitcher that I may drink: and she shall answer, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let it be the same whom thou hast provided for thy servant Isaac: and by this I shall understand, that thou hast shown kindness to my master.
15 And it came to pass before he had ended speaking, that behold, Rebecca came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother; and [she had] her pitcher upon her shoulder.
He had not yet ended these words within himself, and behold Rebecca came out, the daughter of Bathuel, son of Melcha, wife to Nachor the brother of Abraham, having a pitcher on her shoulder:
16 And the maiden was very fair in countenance; a virgin, and no man had known her. And she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
An exceeding comely maid, and a most beautiful virgin, and not known to man: and she went down to the spring, and filled her pitcher and was coming back.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, sip a little water out of thy pitcher.
And the servant ran to meet her, and said: Give me a little water to drink of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord! And she hasted and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him to drink.
And she answered: Drink, my lord. And quickly she let down the pitcher upon her arm, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had given him enough to drink, she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels also, until they have drunk enough.
And when he had drunk, she said: I will draw water for thy camels also, till they all drink.
20 And she hasted and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw [water]; and she drew for all his camels.
And pouring out the pitcher into the troughs, she ran back to the well to draw water: and having drawn she gave to all the camels.
21 And the man was astonished at her, remaining silent, to know whether Jehovah had made his journey prosperous or not.
But he musing beheld her with silence, desirous to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
22 And it came to pass when the camels had drunk enough, that the man took a gold ring, of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, ten [shekels] weight of gold,
And after that the camels had drunk, the man took out golden earrings, weighing two sicles: and as many bracelets of ten sicles weight.
23 and said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Is there room [in] thy father's house for us to lodge?
And he said to her: Whose daughter art thou? tell me: is there any place in thy father’s house to lodge?
24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.
And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.
25 And she said to him, There is straw, and also much provender with us; also room to lodge.
And she said moreover to him: We have good store of both straw and hay, and a large place to lodge in.
26 And the man stooped, and bowed down before Jehovah,
The man bowed himself down, and adored the Lord,
27 and said, Blessed be Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who has not withdrawn his loving-kindness and his faithfulness from my master; I being in the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of my master's brethren.
Saying: Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not taken away his mercy and truth from my master, and hath brought me the straight way into the house of my master’s brother.
28 And the maiden ran and told these things to her mother's house.
Then the maid ran, and told in her mother’s house, all that she had heard.
29 And Rebecca had a brother, named Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to the well.
And Rebecca had a brother named Laban, who went out in haste to the man, to the well.
30 And it came to pass when he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hand, and when he heard the words of Rebecca his sister, saying, Thus spoke the man to me — that he came to the man, and behold, he was standing by the camels, by the well.
And when he had seen the earrings and bracelets in his sister’s hands, and had heard all that she related, saying: Thus and thus the man spoke to me: he came to the man who stood by the camels, and near to the spring of water,
31 And he said, Come in, blessed of Jehovah! why standest thou outside? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
And said to him: Come in, thou blessed of the Lord: why standest thou without? I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house; and he ungirded the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him.
And he brought him in into his lodging: and he unharnessed the camels and gave straw and hay, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men that were come with him.
33 And there was set [meat] before him to eat; but he said, I will not eat until I have made known my business. And he said, Speak on.
And bread was set before him. But he said: I will not eat, till I tell my message. He answered him: Speak.
34 And he said, I am Abraham's servant.
And he said: I am the servant of Abraham:
35 And Jehovah has blessed my master greatly, and he is become great; and he has given him sheep and cattle, and silver and gold, and bondmen and bondwomen, and camels and asses.
And the Lord hath blessed my master wonderfully, and he is become great: and he hath given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, men servants and women servants, camels and asses.
36 And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had grown old; and unto him has he given all that he has.
And Sara my master’s wife hath borne my master a son in her old age, and he hath given him all that he had.
37 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I am dwelling;
And my master made me swear, saying: Thou shalt not take a wife for my son of the Chanaanites, in whose land I dwell:
38 but thou shalt by all means go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.
But thou shalt go to my father’s house, and shalt take a wife of my own kindred for my son:
39 And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not follow me?
But I answered my master: What if the woman will not come with me?
40 And he said to me, Jehovah, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way, that thou mayest take a wife for my son of my family, and out of my father's house.
The Lord, said he, in whose sight I walk, will send his angel with thee, and will direct thy way: and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my own kindred, and of my father’s house.
41 Then shalt thou be quit of my oath, when thou shalt have come to my family. And if they give thee not [one], thou shalt be quit of my oath.
But thou shalt be clear from my curse, when thou shalt come to my kindred, if they will not give thee one.
42 And I came this day to the well, and said, Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, if now thou wilt prosper my way on which I go,
And I came today to the well of water, and said: O Lord God of my master Abraham, if thou hast prospered my way, wherein I now walk,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water, and let it come to pass that the damsel who cometh forth to draw [water], and to whom I shall say, Give me, I pray thee, a little water out of thy pitcher to drink,
Behold I stand by the well of water, and the virgin, that shall come out to draw water, who shall hear me say: Give me a little water to drink of thy pitcher:
44 and she shall say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels — that she should be the woman whom Jehovah hath appointed for my master's son.
And shall say to me: Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman, whom the Lord hath prepared for my master’s son.
45 Before I ended speaking in my heart, behold, Rebecca came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder, and went down to the well, and drew [water]; and I said to her, Give me, I pray thee, to drink.
And whilst I pondered these things secretly with myself, Rebecca appeared coming with a pitcher, which she carried on her shoulder: and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her: Give me a little to drink.
46 And she hasted and let down her pitcher from her [shoulder], and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. And I drank; and she gave the camels drink also.
And she speedily let down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said to me: Both drink thou, and to thy camels I will give drink. I drank, and she watered the camels.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.
And I asked her, and said: Whose daughter art thou? And she answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him. So I put earrings on her to adorn her face, and I put bracelets on her hands.
48 And I stooped, and bowed down before Jehovah; and I blessed Jehovah, God of my master Abraham, who has led me the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.
And falling down I adored the Lord, blessing the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath brought me the straight way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 And now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me; and I will turn to the right hand or to the left.
Wherefore if you do according to mercy and truth with my master, tell me: but if it please you otherwise, tell me that also, that I may go to the right hand, or to the left.
50 And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeds from Jehovah: we cannot speak to thee bad or good.
And Laban and Bathuel answered: The word hath proceeded from the Lord, we cannot speak any other thing to thee but his pleasure.
51 Behold, Rebecca is before thee: take [her], and go away; and let her be wife of thy master's son, as Jehovah has said.
Behold Rebecca is before thee, take her and go thy way, and let her be the wife of thy master’s son, as the Lord hath spoken.
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he bowed down to the earth before Jehovah.
Which when Abraham’s servant heard, falling down to the ground he adored the Lord.
53 And the servant brought forth silver articles, and gold articles, and clothing, and he gave [them] to Rebecca; and he gave to her brother, and to her mother, precious things.
And bringing forth vessels of silver and gold, and garments, he gave them to Rebecca for a present. He offered gifts also to her brothers, and to her mother.
54 And they ate and drank, he and the men that were with him, and lodged. And they rose up in the morning; and he said, Send me away to my master.
And a banquet was made, and they ate and drank together, and lodged there. And in the morning, the servant arose, and said: Let me depart, that I may go to my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the maiden abide with us [some] days, or [say] ten; after that she shall go.
And her brother and mother answered: Let the maid stay at least ten days with us, and afterwards she shall depart.
56 And he said to them, Do not hinder me, seeing Jehovah has prospered my way: send me away, and I will go to my master.
Stay me not, said he, because the Lord hath prospered my way: send me away, that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, Let us call the maiden and inquire at her mouth.
And they said: Let us call the maid, and ask her will.
58 And they called Rebecca and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
And they called her, and when she was come, they asked: Wilt thou go with this man? She said: I will go.
59 And they sent away Rebecca their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
So they sent her away, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his company,
60 And they blessed Rebecca, and said to her, Thou art our sister; mayest thou become thousands of tens of thousands; and may thy seed possess the gate of their enemies!
Wishing prosperity to their sister, and saying: Thou art our sister, mayst thou increase to thousands of thousands, and may thy seed possess the gates of their enemies.
61 And Rebecca arose, and her maids, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man. And the servant took Rebecca, and went away.
So Rebecca and her maids, being set upon camels, followed the man: who with speed returned to his master.
62 And Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi; for he was dwelling in the south country.
At the same time Isaac was walking along the way to the well which is called Of the living and the seeing: for he dwelt in the south country.
63 And Isaac had gone out to meditate in the fields toward the beginning of evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were coming.
And he was gone forth to meditate in the field, the day being now well spent: and when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw camels coming afar off.
64 And Rebecca lifted up her eyes and saw Isaac, and she sprang off the camel.
Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, lighted off the camel,
65 And she had said to the servant, Who is the man that is walking in the fields to meet us? And the servant said, That is my master! Then she took the veil, and covered herself.
And said to the servant: Who is that man who cometh towards us along the field? And he said to her: That man is my master. But she quickly took her cloak, and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.
And the servant told Isaac all that he had done.
67 And Isaac led her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after [the death of] his mother.
Who brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and took her to wife: and he loved her so much, that it moderated the sorrow which was occasioned by his mother’s death.
